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'We haven't batted well enough in this tournament. Whoever plays in the middle needs to take that responsibility and go on to play long innings.'
Skipper Rohit Sharma ran out of reasons for Mumbai Indians' losing streak which extended to eight games, accepting that shoddy batting has hurt the team and resulted in a disastrous IPL 2022 for the five-time champions.
Lucknow Super Giants beat MI by 36 runs with skipper KL Rahul scoring another hundred against his favourite side while Rohit's 39 was the top score for the home team.
"We haven't batted well enough in this tournament. Whoever plays in the middle needs to take that responsibility and go on to play long innings. Some of the opposition players have done that and that is what is hurting us. One guy needs to ensure that he bats as long as possible," Rohit said after the match.
Rohit accepted that some shots were irresponsible.
"I thought we bowled pretty okay. It wasn't easy. It was a good pitch to bat on. I thought that score should have been chased down, but we didn't bat well enough. When you have a target like that, it is important to string partnerships. But some irresponsible shots in the middle, including mine," he added.
Rohit feels that the manner in which they are losing games, everyone in the bench is in contention.
"Everyone has come into discussion given how our tournament has gone. We need to ensure that we have a settled team and give players in the middle a fair chance," he said when asked if there is a chance for Tim David to come into equation.
"Their roles are different when they play for their countries and here we expect something else from them. We tried not making too many changes, and we have tried to play the best combination possible.
'But when you lose games, you always have such discussions. As far as I am concerned, I want to give people enough chances to prove themselves. The season hasn't gone the way we would have wanted it to, but such things happen," he stated.
Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul is happy that the depth in his side due to multiple all-rounders is allowing him to play freely as he scored his second hundred of the season to completely crush MI's morale.
"We were very clear going into the auctions -- I am big on having all-rounders in the team. Having them in the team, makes my life easier with the options.
"With this team, we do bat deep. Holder is batting at eight. With the depth, you can play a bit more freely. That's probably the only reason (for his higher strike rate)," Rahul said with reference to his 147 plus strike-rate.
"I am trying to play according to the situation, see what's expected out of me. Enjoying batting, enjoying the responsibility. Fingers crossed I can keep doing the right things."